


The Once and Future King

by Under_supernatural_94



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 21st Century, 21st century Arthur Pendragon, Ablion in need, F/M, New love, Second Chances, recarniation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-11-02 22:26:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10953975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Under_supernatural_94/pseuds/Under_supernatural_94
Summary: After centuries of waiting Merlin's employee, the headstrong reader, finds the long lost Excalibur signifying the return of the king.





	1. The Return

**Author's Note:**

> I just woke up this morning thinking about Merlin and after reading some fan fiction came up with this idea. I do not own anything of BBC Merlin and I have tweaked a few things. Hope you guys like it. also I am terrible at grammar so bear with the story.

The end of the battle of Camlin

Merlin’s Point of view 

I know that the lake of Avalon is close I can hear the waves clasping on the shore but I fear that it is too late for Arthur falls to the ground in my arms.

He starts to mutter “It’s too late…. It’s too… All you magic, merlin and you can’t save my life.” 

“I can. I’m not going to lose you.” I grunt as I try to get Arthur back on his feet. 

“Just hold me. Please.” Was his reply. I can’t help but lay there listening to his final words “There’s… There’s something I want to say.” 

I cut him off not waiting to hear anything “You’re not… You’re not going to say goodbye.” 

“No Merlin. Everything you’ve done I know now, for me, for Camelot, for the kingdom you helped me build.” He says.

“You’d have done it without me” I counter back. 

He chuckles and gives a sad smile “Maybe… I want to say something I’ve never said to you before.” He turns his head to me and looks me straight in the eyes. 

“Thank you.” 

Arthur grabs my head and shuts his eyes for the last time. My heart screams out in pain as I yell to the great dragon Kilgharrah.I hear the wind break as Kilgharrah lands.

“Kilgharrah I would not have summoned you if there was any other choice. I have one last favor to ask.” I say as I look up at the dragon. Soon I load Arthur and myself on to his back and we take off towards the lake. 

I struggle to get Arthur to the water to save him Kilgharrah tells me it’s too late. 

“I can’t lose him he is my friend!” I scream back at him. 

"No man, no matter how great can know his own destiny. Some lives have been foretold, merlin. Arthur is not just a king. He is the once and future king. Take heart. For when Albion’s need is greatest Arthur will rise again. It has been a privilege to know you young warlock. The story that we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men.” and with that the great dragon flies away leaving me holding the body of my best friend and king. 

After building Arthur’s pyre I take his sword Excalibur and toss it into the lake. Only Arthur can wield its true power and it will return when he rises. I walk over to Arthur to say my final good byes. With tears in my eyes I send the boat out to the middle of the lake. The boat keeps floating into the mist. 

I don’t return to Camelot but I know that it is in great hands with Guinevere. I set out to past the time until Arthur returns. Centuries go by and the lives of me and my friends turn into great myths of old. I walk by the tower of Avalon each day and watch as it crumbles with age. I have seen wars come and go and with each the hope of Arthur’s return grows just to get dashed with the end of the wars. 

21st Century 

Sometime in the 21st century I started an antique shop to collect some of the ancient trinkets of the past. One day a young American girl came into my shop. She says she is a graduate student working on her thesis of Arthurian legends. She heard that I have a copy of text recounting the story of Arthur and his wizard Merlin. I have to hide a chuckle on how excited she was. I let her look at the book that I wrote centuries ago. After that she came by every day to come and talk soon I ended up giving her a job because she had a knack for finding antiques. 

One day she came in with something that changed my life forever. 

“Hey Mr. E you will never guess what I found diving in the lake!” 

“Oh? Which lake?” I inquire 

“Avalon Lake!” she states cheerfully. I froze at the sound of the name. 

“I heard some old fishermen talk about how the tower on the island has been there since the medieval period and that there has been some weird stuff going on.” 

“Y/N I have told you that that place isn’t somewhere you should be going!” I say in my sternest dad voice. 

“I know, I know Mr. E but I just couldn’t help myself. I needed to know if there was anything that connected Arthur to this area! And look at what I found!”  
She pulls up something that looks like a sword. She goes around back to get my restoration kit and starts chiseling away the sediment that has been built up. With one strike the rest of the layers crumble off leaving a shining blade. I take a step back which cause Y/N to be alarmed. I stumble back into my room, a place where Y/N has been forbidden to enter, and take out a scroll of the prophecy. Y/N followed into my room and at this point I don’t care. I read the prophecy again, drop the scroll and run out of the shop sword in hand going to the lake, for the time I have waited centuries for has come. 

Y/N picks up the scroll and read what got her friend so spooked

“When Albion’s need is Greatest Arthur, the once and future king will rise again Harold by the return of Excalibur.”

You couldn’t believe what you had read. All the myths were true! Arthur, Camelot, merlin! People thought you were crazy when you told them that the myths were more than myths. You had found Excalibur and the return of King Arthur was next! You ran outside after locking up the shop to follow Mr. E, who was surprising sprit for an old guy. You reach him right as he is getting on a row boat. 

“Umm Mr. E this boat doesn’t have a motor or oars how do you expect it to move?” 

He doesn’t listen to you as he chants something under his breath. To your amazement, the boat starts to move making you think that there is more to Mr. E then meets the eye. 

It only takes a view minutes to get to the island of the center of the lake. Mr. E jumps out of the boat heading straight to the tower. When you finally catch up to him you see him stopped at the base of the tower eyes locked on something in the shadows.  
You soon see that it is a man as he walks out of the shadows. The first thing you notice is his beautiful blue eyes. They hold you in a trance until you are brought out of it by Mr. E’s words. Those worlds are the last thing you hear before you past out from shock. 

“Y/N meet Arthur Pendragon. The once and future king!”


	2. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reader wakes ups to hundreds of questions, and Arthur realizes he is a man out of time.

Merlins POV

After I introduced Arthur to Y/N her eyes just glazed over and she dropped then and there. I flicked my hand making sure that she hit the ground gracefully and didn’t hurt herself. When Y/N was placed gently on the ground I turned my attention to Arthur. 

“Arthur I can’t believe your back! I have been waiting a very long time for you to return!” I couldn’t help to be overjoyed to be reunited with my friend. When i went in for a hung he took a step back just like he did when we were younger. 

“Merlin is that you? My God man when did you get so old?” He replied, which made me wonder if he realized how much time has past. 

“Arthur what do you remember?” I asked 

“I remember the battle, getting attacked by Mordred, you telling me you had magic, and….” He looked lost in thought “ I died.” he seemed very solemn with that realization. “ I died Merlin, how am I alive and you so old?” 

I take a deep breath, prepping myself to unload this bomb, “Arthur, I am old because many years have past and we are no longer it the time that you know. And you are alive because Albion is in need of you again, for you are the once and future king.” 

Arthur looks stunned, then glazes around and realized all the changes in the world. He sees the cars driving on the road and ducks when a plane flies over head. He is trying to take it all in, and I can see that he is holding back tears, trying to be strong. With a deep breath he turns to back to me and I see a resolve come across his face. 

“Everyone we ever knew, Gais, Gwaine, Percival….” he gets choked up on the last name “ Gwen..” he finishes quietly 

“All gone but remembered in legends.” I state. 

He takes another deep breathe, collecting himself. He looks down at Y/N wondering who she is. I see where he is looking and answer his unasked question. 

“Works for me in my antique shop. She is not from around here,” I chuckle “She is from a land across the sea. She is here actually to study you and your stories. She is smart and passionate and very much like Gwen.” 

At the sound of her name Arthur tenses up, but moves over to help wake Y/N.  When he extends his hand out I knew that she was awake and wondered how much she overheard. 

Y/N Pov 

I start to stir waiting for the pain to hit since I knew that I fainted and I was on a rocky beach. But to my surprise I don’t feel any pain whatsoever. I wonder if this is Mr. E’s doing, considering he made the boat moved without a motor or oars. Before I open my eyes I listen to the conversation between Mr. E and the king. “Oh my god king Arthur is real!!” was the only thought going through my head. 

I know that I should probably stir and let them know that I was awake but I was to enraptured in the conversation. When Arthur mentioned Gwen I could feel his heart break. He defied his father’s plan for his queen and changed the course of history by marrying a servant girl. I hear Mr. E. talking about me, i try not to blush considering I am suppose to be passed out. When I hear footsteps crossing the rocky beach I carefully open my eyes getting blinded by the piercing sun. I see a shadow cross my face and see a hand being extended out.   
I grab hold of the hand and come face to face with a man of legend. 

“You know, no women should faint in a place that would damage her beauty.” He says with a small smile. 

“Always a charmer, just like the legends.” I think before I realize I am in the presence of ancient royalty. “Smooth Y/N.” 

“Your majesty,” I reply and give an god awful courtesy. The absurdity of your courtesy is validated when you hear the king laugh “His laugh is like silk. Stop it Y/N he is a king for Christ sake.” 

“You have never met any royals have you?” He states 

“You know I never got a chance while living in a land ran by a president.” I laugh at my comment and the look on Arthur’s face. I realized that I probably sound strange with my  American accent. 

“What's a president?” He asks. 

“Someone who runs my country, they get re-elected every four years, and they are not as legendary as you.” He chuckles and I start rattling off my many, many questions. 

“How did you survive all your battles with magical beasts? Did you really almost marry a changeling? Was Mordred really your son?” That question gave him a shock. “Was the round table really round?” 

I could feel that I was vibrating with excitement knowing that my questions were finally getting answered. Questions that I never thought that i would get answered. He stood still and processed my flood of questions. 

“Um well, I am sure that merlin had a hand in my survival in my magical battles, Yes I did almost marry a changeling, No Mordred was a druid boy that i rescued then turned against me when I didn’t save the women he love. Is that what the legends say about me?” He looks appalled. Not knowing whole story I tell him the tail of Mordred. 

“Yes, stories say that you had sex with your half sister morgana and she then had Mordred and raised him to hate you and kill you.” I end with a smile. Over Arthurs shoulders I see Mr. E facepalm and Arthur’s face lose some color. He moved on to the last question recovering nicely. 

“And finally yes the round table was round.” 

I start to ask more questions but I was cut off by Mr. E. 

“Y/n I think that is enough questions for right now, give Arthur his sword and we will discuss more at the shop.” 

Arthur’s ears perks up at the mention of a sword. I take the sword from the boat and hand it to Arthur. I don't know what changed but the second Arthur's hand grasped the hilt there was a shift in the air, so palpable that I could feel it in my bones. I know that something has changed and I can't wait to see what comes from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay. I had no idea where I wanted to take this story and I have been extremely tired after a long day of animal interning. Thanks for the love and supporting the story. And please forgive grammar mistakes, I am a biology person for a reason! Hopefully I wont wait another six months to post the next chapter.


End file.
